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Safety Belt and Cell Phone Use by Commercial Motor Vehicle Occupants in Michigan

This study examines the safety belt and cell phone use rates among commercial motor vehicle occupants in Michigan and identifies areas for improvement. The findings highlight the importance of safety belt usage in reducing severe injuries and fatalities in crashes.

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Safety Belt and Cell Phone Use by Commercial Motor Vehicle Occupants in Michigan

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  1. Safety Belt and Cell Phone Use by Commercial Motor Vehicle Occupants in Michigan Timothy J. Gates, Ph.D., P.E. Associate Professor of Civil Engineering Michigan State University 2019 Michigan Traffic Safety Summit

  2. During a crash, safety belts reduce risk of severe injuries and fatalities to occupants of passenger vehicles by 45% – 60% Safety belt use rates (front seat only): Nationwide (2017) ~ 90% Primary Law States ~ 91% Secondary Law States ~ 86% Michigan ~ 92% – 94% Safety Belt Statistics 2

  3. Annually Passenger Vehicles (includes mobile device use) Periodically (2-5 years) Child Restraint Devices (includes booster seats and misuse surveys) Motorcycle Helmets Commercial Motor Vehicles (includes mobile device use) OHSP Restraint Surveys 3

  4. County Sampling • NHTSA Rule (2011) • County sample frame must represent at least 85% of the fatalities (5-year average) from FARS • 39 counties selected for CMV surveys • Top 24 counties accounted for greater than 85% percent of Michigan’s truck/bus crashes 2010-2014 • 15 additional counties were included to provide consistency with the 2012 CMV belt survey and 2015 safety belt survey • The 39 selected counties represents • 91.9% of all truck/bus involved crashes from 2010-2014 • 89.8% of all commercial vehicle miles traveled (CVMT)

  5. 2010-2014 Truck/Bus Crashes by County

  6. 39 County Sample Stratum 3 Stratum 4 Bay Macomb Berrien Wayne Branch Clare Stratum 5 Clinton Delta Genesee Mackinac Ionia Schoolcraft Isabella Lapeer Lenawee Marquette Montcalm Muskegon Newaygo Saginaw Sanilac Shiawassee St. Clair St. Joseph Van Buren Stratum 1 Ingham Washtenaw Kalamazoo Oakland Stratum 2 Allegan Calhoun Eaton Grand Traverse Jackson Kent Livingston Midland Monroe Ottawa

  7. Site Selection • 220 sites selected from 39 counties • Primary Roads (Freeways) • Freeway Exit Ramps • Rest Areas • Secondary Roads (Arterials/Collectors) • Intersections • Number of sites within each stratum was proportionally based on CVMT • Number of freeway vs. non-freeway sites was proportionally based on CVMT • Direction of flow, day of the week, time of day randomly determined

  8. Observation Sites by Stratum & Type

  9. Training and QA/QC • Classroom training session • Most observers also participated in post-Memorial Day passenger vehicle training/survey • Trial field studies in SE Michigan • QA/QC through site audits

  10. Minimum 60 minutes per site Daylight hours 7 am to 6 pm Every day of the week Sunday through Saturday Included all vehicles > 10,000 lbs. Included drivers and front seat passengers Belted, not belted, or unknown belt-use Mobile device use (drivers only) CMV volume tally Observational Survey 10

  11. Data Collection • Observers collected the following data for each CMV observed: • Carrier name • CMV type • Trailer type • Cargo type • Fleet type • Driver belt use, age, gender, race • Passenger belt use, age, gender and race • Driver cell phone use

  12. Belted Correctly vs. NOT Belted Correctly 12

  13. Cell Phone Use • Handheld (Talking): • Handheld (Typing): • Hands Free:

  14. Single Unit Box Dump Mixer Tanker Flatbed Garbage Vehicle Types • Tractor Trailer • Box Trailer • Container • Flatbed • Gravel Train • Tanker • Auto Transport • Cab only 14

  15. Statewide CMV Belt Use Rate Results Weighted Statewide CMV Belt Use Rate (4,529 observations): CMV safety belt use rate by stratum: Weights based on Stratum Commercial VMT * Weighted Safety Belt Usage  95% Confidence Band

  16. Results by Gender, Age and Race

  17. Results by Vehicle Type • Single Units: • Tractor-Trailers:

  18. Results by Fleet Type, Cargo Type, Trailer Type and Observation Location Type

  19. CMV Cell Phone Use Rate Results Weighted Statewide CMV Driver Cell Phone Use Rate (4,264 obs.): Cell phone usage type (unweighted): Weights based on Stratum Commercial VMT * Weighted Cell Phone Usage  95% Confidence Band

  20. CMV Belt Use/Cell Phone Use Primary Conclusions • Michigan CMV safety belt use rate is 81.1% • Lower than national average (84.0%) • CMV driver cell phone usage rate was 7.4% • Lower than national average (8.4%) • Tractor trailers showed higher use (8.6%) than single unit trucks (5.7%) • 1.3% typing/texting (approximately 1 in 77 drivers) • Cell phone use decreased with age

  21. CMV Belt Use Categorical Conclusions • CMV safety belt usage rates were relatively consistent by time of day and gender • Younger CMV occupants (<30 yrs) were less likely to use safety belts • Tractor trailers showed higher belt use (83.0%) than single unit trucks (77.4%) • National/regional fleets had higher belt use (86.1%) than local/individual owned (75.0%) • Freeways had higher belt use (82.6%) than non-freeways (78.7%)

  22. CMV Belt UseAreas for Improvement • Construction/Industrial Related Trucks • Cement mixers (29.8%) • Dump trucks (70.1%) • Gravel trains (66.3%) • Garbage trucks (75.0%) • Upper Peninsula (68.4% belt use) • Local Fleet/Independent (75.0% belt use) • Non-Freeways (78.7% belt use) • Short Haul Routes in General

  23. Thank You!Questions?? Timothy J. Gates, Ph.D., P.E. Associate Professor Civil and Environmental Engineering Michigan State University Phone: (517)-353-7224 E-mail: gatestim@msu.edu

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